Alan Ritchson: ‘Reacher’ Shelved ‘Die Trying’ Adaptation After Election

The Reacher star says Prime Video once had the green light to adapt his favorite Jack Reacher novel, but shelved the project after a political shift.

Actor Alan Ritchson, who plays Jack Reacher and co-executive produces the hit Prime Video series, dropped a bombshell on Threads this week. When a fan lamented that the show hadn’t tackled Lee Child’s second novel, Die Trying, Ritchson replied that it was actually his favorite and that he’d already locked in approval to adapt it.

The catch? Plans changed after “someone got re-elected,” Ritchson wrote, without naming names. But the timing and context have led multiple outlets to connect the dots to Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory.

The 1998 novel puts Reacher in the crosshairs of a radical militia group plotting to carve out a white-only state. It’s politically explosive territory the kind of material that could ruffle feathers in a charged climate.

That storyline would mark some of the most politically fraught content in Child’s Jack Reacher catalog, suggesting the adaptation’s abandonment may have had more to do with the current political temperature than typical creative decisions.

The Prime Video series has cherry-picked from Child’s extensive Jack Reacher library, adapting Persuader for season three and moving toward other novels instead. Die Trying now sits on the shelf at least for now.

Ritchson’s comments have reignited fan speculation about whether the adaptation could resurface down the line. Prime Video has not publicly addressed his claims or confirmed why the project was shelved.

For the moment, Die Trying remains one of the few Reacher books that hasn’t made the jump to television despite having the star’s blessing.